Read a bit closer before you mistake the name of Think Fabricate’s Collection of outdoor furnishing with that of the one-hit-wonder 70s band known for “Magic Carpet Ride.” For though it may be easy to confuse the sound of “Stepping Out” with “Steppenwolf,” it would really be a colossal blunder—for the aesthetic of both the Stepping Out and Stepping Wood furniture line (unified under the “Stepping Stones” collection) is decidedly contemporary.

Stepping Wood Grain Chair. Designed and Manufactured by Think Fabricate.

Follow the Path of Think Fabricate’s Stepping Stones to Functional and Fabulous Outdoor Furnishings

In fact, Stepping Stones seems to have taken a page from the architectural trend in my sister town of Crested Butte, CO, where the exteriors of refurbished miner’s cabins frequently display reclaimed barnwood side-by-side with colorful window frames and  brightly painted trim details.

The Stepping Stones Collection features exteriors of long thin slats of wood silhouetting sculptural shapes—a subtly trapezoidal chair and ottoman; a bench in the shape of a rhomboid; a just-this-side of rectangular credenza. And similar to the ski town architecture referenced above, each of these pieces proudly displays an unlikely—albeit intriguing—synthesis of contrasting materials and contrapuntal color.

The Stepping Wood chair and ottoman combine dark walnut, bright bamboo, and a vibrant pinkish endcap—“like chocolate and Carmel with a cherry on top… rich wood tones and velvety smooth curves make this chair a delight!” While the Stepping Wood Bench integrates smooth surfaces with subtle textures in the form of bamboo plywood, painted MDF, and recycled plastic.

Lastly, the lovely Stepping Stones Credenza is a two-sided piece that doubles as a room divider: bamboo plywood, painted MDF, and recycled or remnant marble are the stuff of the making of this multi-functional piece which is also the entire collection’s namesake: “Functional cutouts emulate the forms of stepping stones and lead you to better organization… the credenza, bench, and chair in this group each provide a colorful way to incorporate storage into functional pieces.”

About the Manufacturer: The great borough of Brooklyn is rightly proud to count among its many design-driven denizens Think Fabricate, the design arm of Doban Architecture, “a Brooklyn-based architecture firm with award winning projects in the areas of educational, residential, and economic development.” Think Fabricate’s contributions to these multi-disciplinary objectives include materials research, product conceptualization and design, graphic design, and product fabrication. Think Fabricate’s output is composed yet colorful, thoughtful and functional yet full of joie de vivre—wholly reflective of their stated desire to “capture the human element, genuineness, appreciation of material, and the inclusive spirit that grows from our Brooklyn roots.”